Battle of the Oscar Frontrunners: The Coen Brothers Vs. P.T Anderson

After all the hand wringing about the fate of the Oscar show, it appears the Oscars will be held as planned. That means we can turn our full attention to who will win, and what the major Oscar categories will bring us. One such major Oscar category is Best Director, which is a pretty close reflection of the Best Picture race.

Joel and Ethan Coen returned to glory with "No Country for Old Men" and have been the leaders in this Oscar category for some time. Paul Thomas Anderson provided a last-minute charge with "There Will Be Blood" and has made steady gains in the Oscar race. As such, Best Director deserves a closer look because it could be a signal as to how the Best Picture race might go. If either of these directors get this individual Oscar, it could provide a good omen for their films to triumph three minutes later.

Will the Coens' years of cult success pay off with their biggest mainstream triumph? Or is it Anderson's time to strike for Oscar gold? Here's the case for and against their chances.

Joel and Ethan Coen, a.k.a The Coen Brothers

Career: Writer/director team for over two decades. Won the Oscar for writing "Fargo" and were also nominated for writing "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" This is their first nomination as directors.

Nominated for: "No Country for Old Men."

Major awards: BAFTA Award, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, Director Guild Award, New York Film Critics Circle Award.

The case for the Coens: The Coens had slipped a bit in their fans eyes after their attempts to go mainstream with "Intolerable Cruelty" and "The Ladykillers." To come back, the Coens went back to the indie film market, but not to their usual comfort zone. In their first official adaptation of a novel- not counting their borrowing from "The Odyssey" for "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?"- the Coens moved past their weird, black comedy image.